


Free hugs

by Anuna



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Kidfic, Skye's childhood, accidental babysitting, growing up in an orphanage, teamyness, well it's mostly fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-27
Updated: 2013-10-27
Packaged: 2017-12-30 15:53:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1020558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anuna/pseuds/Anuna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"When Clint told me he left our daughter with you I realized you might be in need of a rescue."</p><p>Luckily for Ward, someone already rescued him. (Part of my <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/465017">Kobayashi Maru</a> universe, only focusing on AoS people, who are part of said universe as well :)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Free hugs

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Crazy4Orcas](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crazy4Orcas/gifts).



> I have ton of these silly, family-ish, teamy little headcanons about AoS, and their characters, and one of them Skye being good with kids, because she grew up with other homeless, parent-less kids who, just like her, needed a hug. So she learned how to hug kidlets, among other things. 
> 
> Written as a trick-or-treat meme fic.

Skye expected to see a number of things in SHIELD HQ, when she finally visited it. Shiny tech? Check. Lots of people wearing various combinations of black -and - white clothing? Check. Lots of people staring at her, probably thinking “another among Coulson's strays”. Done. What she didn't expect was finding Agent Ward in HQ's cafeteria holding someone's baby. 

“Oh look at that,” Simmons said while Skye was still trying to process the sight. Ward was holding the baby like he was doing all other things, by the book, and obviously making sure he wouldn't drop the little girl Except he was obviously feeling uncomfortable. 

“Someone needs to tell Agent Ward that babies are not explosives,” Fitz said. 

“Yeah, someone needs to save Agent Ward from a baby,” Skye commented, already walking towards him. 

“I'm pretty sure that's Amy,” Simmons said. “Oh my, how she's grown.” 

“Yup, well I'll just stay over here,” Fitz decided as Simmons walked to Ward and took a seat next to him. Skye waited, observing how bravely Ward was faring through this. Currently, the baby had stopped beating his chest with her tiny fist (which she previously gnawed on) and now she was trying to decide if Ward's necktie was edible or not. Skye bit her lip to prevent a blatant grin in face of his misery. 

“Hey, Amy,” Simmons said in a sweet voice, as Ward shot her a look that might have been pleading if he wasn't so damn proud. He could handle this, right? Riiiight. “Remember Auntie Jemma, Amy?”

“That's a silly question, Simmons, as you should know,” Fitzs was saying. “She was barely four months old when she last saw you, and by now she is nine, and as both of us know, children can't retain memories until the age of three -”

“I know, Fitz,” Simmons was grinning and Amy grinned back for a bit, focusing on Simmons' wiggling fingers. “But I used to change her diapers back then, so I get to be Auntie Jemma at least.”

“I will not be the one to take away that particular privilege,” Fitz said. Ward seemed to look between them, probably hoping the current situation won't call for a diaper change. 

“Who appointed you as a babysitter?” Skye asked him. “Because you kinda look like you'd prefer to be dismantling a bomb right now.”

Ward took a breath. “It's my colleague's daughter. He asked me to look after her for a bit -”

Simmons looked at Skye. “He didn't want to be any less cool in Agent Barton's eyes, you know, because he might tell Agent Romanoff,” Ward glared at her, without much success. 

“And Agent Romanoff was his S.O.,” Fitz added. 

“Oooh,” Skye said. Watching Ward try valiantly not to squirm was a precious experience. Except then little Amy became too excited and, as it often happened with babies, she didn't handle that excitement well. 

“Oh, no,” Simmons said. “What's wrong, sweetie?”

Amy squirmed further, aiming a baby frown at Simmons, trying to get out of Ward's hands. When she couldn't, she started making upset noises which promised a pretty loud event to follow if someone didn't intervene. 

“Hey, let me,” the reaction was still an automatic one for Skye, and Ward definitely didn't object when she offered her open hands to Amy. “Let me.”

She picked the girl up, undaunted by her protests. The trick with babies was calm, and in Skye's opinion, it was no trick at all. They knew if you were uncomfortable, and she never was, not even when they were bawling. 

“Hey you little thing,” she said, studying green eyes and hair that couldn't decide between sand blond and light red. “What's up?”

 _Smile_ she thought when baby Amy looked to to study a new face. And Skye could do that, easily, because when kids smiled back, it was the most real thing in the world. Amy didn't quite smile but she calmed down as Skye switched her to her left hip. “Ah, that's a good girl.”

“Wow, Skye,” Fitz said. “Simmons never managed that.”

“Yeah, she's a stubborn one,” Simmons agreed. “If she starts crying, she won't be placated easily.” 

“Yes,” Fitzs agreed. Out of the corner of her eye Skye watched as Ward tried to make himself look presentable again. 

“I've got experience with crying babies,” Skye said. 

“Brothers and sisters?” Simmons asked, and the question tugged sadly at Skye's heart. Amy looked at her almost as if she could sense it, so Skye made a face – all wide eyes and a big smile of surprise and Amy giggled. 

“You could say that,” Skye nodded, focusing on Amy and not offering more of an explanation, even though Fitz-Simmons were looking at her expecting more and Ward looked like he understood (which he probably did). “Let's take a look out of the window, shall we?” Skye said to Amy instead and walked there, just four steps away, but four steps enough. 

The thing was, there was never a lack of crying little kidlets in her youth. On the contrary. Maybe it started with her not wanting to listen to them cry, but she had learned how to hold them and how to hum and how to project right kind of calm; and eventually she learned there was no better thing than to be hugged by a kidlet thankful for comfort. Because all of them badly needed the hugs.

“That looks like a real talent,” Ward was in front of her, wiping his shirt with a napkin, his lips trying not to tug upward all the way. 

“Just practice,” Skye smiled. “They kind of figure out if you're stuck up.”

He did smile at that. “I suppose I won't hear the end of this, right?”

She grinned. “Nah. Be lucky I didn't take a picture,” she said and before she could come up with further teasing, she noticed a red haired woman walking towards them. “Ward?” Skye inclined her head in the direction of the woman and Ward turned around. The woman's face seemed impassive, until she reached them, aiming an amused look at the tall agent. 

“So you have been saved after all,” she said. The baby reached her hand to the woman, oh so _this_ was Ward's S.O.? She looked at Skye then. “My apologies if she chewed on your hair or broke something. She's been doing that a lot lately,” Amy went happily to her mama and Skye smiled over another sad tug in her chest. _Was it ever like this?_ “When Clint told me he left Amy with you, I realized you'd be in need of a rescue.”

Ward smiled. Pleasantly, like you smile at someone you know and respect and like. “Well, it was you who taught me not to take too big bites,” he looked fondly at Amy. “This is way out of my league. By the way, Skye, this is Agent Natasha Romanoff,” he gestured politely, and oh fuck shit crap, _that_ was why the woman looked familiar. _The Avengers_ , Skye realized. “This is Skye.” When Skye didn't reply, her own S.O. looked a bit smug. “I suppose she recognized you.”

Agent Romanoff grinned. “So you're Skye,” she said. “I heard nice things about you,” she added and looked at Ward who momentarily lost the smug expression. 

“Nice things? Really Ward? You said nice things about me to the coolest among Avengers?”

“I -” Ward looked at Natasha, but she just gave him a mysterious grin. 

“You'll learn,” she said, adjusting her hold on her daughter. “Say bye bye, Amy.”

“Byeee,” Skye said and waved at the girl. Then she looked at Ward and felt like poking him a little, but if she knew him at all (and she did, despite his blank faces and his brave attempts not to project anything he felt. The guy liked teams even though he claimed otherwise) his equilibrium was off. Skye wasn't sure why, but hugging people, big or tiny, and connecting to people was tricky. She had strong suspicions about her S.O., and for someone whose name meant _great protector_ , she sometimes felt he was in dire need of a hug. “That was nice,” she said. 

“Yeah. Except my tie is ruined.” 

She did poke his ribs with her elbow then. 

“Well, luckily for you, I grew up around drooling kids. I'm good with all kinds of stains.”

The look he gave her was mostly amused. “You'll never stop surprising me, aren't you?”

Skye grinned brightly. It was for the best, she thought. “Nope,” she said. “Let's get you cleaned up.”


End file.
